The indictment against the 70-year-old former movie mogul and already convicted sex offender originally included eleven counts of sexual assault. Four of the cases have since been withdrawn since one of the women did not appear from the witness hearing.
The trial is taking place in Weinstein’s old hometown of Los Angeles and it began almost to the day five years after the revelations that ended Weinstein’s career and became the starting point for the entire metoo movement.
Some of the women have testified anonymously, including a woman who accuses Harvey Weinstein of ordering a massage from her at a Beverly Hills hotel in May 2010. Afterwards, he stalked her and masturbated in front of her in a bathroom.
Weinstein denies the allegations and claims that all sexual contacts took place with the consent of the women. His lawyers say the allegations date back a long time and cannot be supported by real evidence or credible witnesses.
Weinstein is already serving a sentence from another trial in New York since 2020, when he was sentenced to 23 years in prison for the rape and sexual assault of two women.
The proceedings against Weinstein resume on November 28, when the defense begins questioning its witnesses.